Merchandising table



Jan. 7, 1941. J. E. BALES MERCHANDISING TABLE Original Filed Aug. -2,1934 INVENTOR. 54166 ATTORNEYfi,

Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MERCHANDISING TABLEJames E. Bales, Aurora, 111., assignor to Lyon Metal Products,Incorporated, Aurora, 111., a

corporation of Illinois 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a merchandising or display table or the like,and it is an object of the invention to provide such a device which maybe cheaply and readily constructed, and

which is durable and Wholly eflicient in use for its intended purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a merchandising or displaytable or counter in which the partitions for articles being displayed orcarried thereon are readily adjustable to accommodate the table to theparticular articles being displayed;

An additional object of the invention is to provide in such a table orcounter means whereby the partitions for the merchandise may be adjustedby manipulation only of those partitions which are to be moved to a newposition.

A still further object of the invention consists in the provision of amerchandising or display table or the like having merchandisecompartment partitions, readily movable means for supporting thepartitions, said means comprising clip members which may be applied toany part of the table top and which may be placed in position by asimple manipulation thereof, the clip and the partition supportedthereby being mutually interlocked by each'other.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a merchandising tableor counter which can be readily cleaned.

It is furthermore an objectof the invention to providein such a table orthe like, a single plate perforated top construction to facilitatecleaning, the perforations being evenly spaced to facilitate flexibilityof adjustment of the merchandise compartments.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a merchandisingtable having side and end rails, means for readily adjusting theposition of the posts which support said rails.

The present application is a division of applicants co-pendingapplication Serial No. 738,164, filed August 2, 1934.

Numerous other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparentfrom the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, wherein there is set forth certain preferredembodiments of the invention.

In the drawing, wherein like reference numerals refer to like partsthroughout,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a complete merchandise display tableembodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View of the table taken substantially along the.line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a perspective detail of one form of side post for supportingthe rail glass.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a modified 5 form of side postsupport.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an end or corner post for supportingthe rail glasses.

Figure 6 is a view of a modified form of end post.

In the drawing the invention has been shown applied to a merchandisingor display table supported upon spaced legs. However, it is to beunderstood that the invention is equally applicable to counters or thelike, wherein the top on which the merchandise is carried is supportedupon a box-like support enclosing the space beneath the top. Further, itis to be understood that the invention is applicable to tables orcounters having tiltable tops, as well as to a table or counter of thefiat typeshown.

As indicated in the drawing in the embodiment illustrated, the table topl5 or support member on which the merchandise to be displayed iscarried, is'perforated. As seen more particularly in Figure 1, theperforations I! are evenly and syrmnetrically spaced laterally andlongitudinally of the table top. The perforations are of uniform sizeand may be conveniently formed by the drilling. of the table top whichmay be either metal, wood or other desirable material. The table top maybe supported in any convenient .or Well-known manner upon the legs I8 ofthe table.

The side rail pieces [9 and the end rail pieces 2|, which in theembodiment shown are indicated as being constructed of glass, are heldin vertical position peripherally of the table top by means ofv cornersupporting posts 23 and side posts 25 and 2'6 forming supplementalsupporting means for the relatively long side rail glasses. Preferablyarranged around the outside of the rail glasses is a rail guard member2'1, which may be of metal. The guard member gives an ornamentalappearance to the table assembly and protects the rail glasses. It maybe of any suitable construction; in the preferred embodiment I haveshown it as constructed to be slipped downwardly into position aroundthe outside of the rail glasses and supported on the table top, as shownin Figure 2. Alternatively it may be formedas a part of the table top. I

v The corner posts 23 and the supplemental side posts 25 and 25 areformed at their upper ends with reversely bent spring clip portions 30which hold the glass in position. At the bottom, these members aresupported upon the perforated table top in any desirable manner,preferably by self-tapping screws which pass through horizontal flangesformed on the bottoms of the support posts and through the perforationsin the table top. An ordinary nut and bolt could be used as a securingmeans, but I prefer to use a self-tapping screw, various forms of whichare well-known. By reason of the fact that the table top is perforatedthroughout its length the side rail support members 25 and 26 may belocated at substantially any point longitudinally of the table wheresupport is desired. This is a material advantage for it will be seenthat it secures a desirable flexibility of adjustment. The side railsupport member 25, unlike side support member 25, not only supports theside rail glass I9, but also forms the support for a merchandise crossdivider or partition 253. The side glasses l9 and various partitions maybe formed of glass, metal, composition, wood or any desirable material.One preferred form of side rail support post 26 is shown in Figure 3. Inthis embodiment the horizontal base flange 31 of the post is secured tothe table top by means of self-tapping screws 33 which pass throughdrilled openings in the flange base and in the table top. A tab 35 isstruck from r the base and turned vertically upwardly and forms thesupport for one side of the partition glass 29. A similar tab 31 isstruck away from the metal of the horizontal base and bent verticallyupward in the opposite direction, forming the support for the other sideof the partition glass 29.

In Figure 4 a modified form of base for the side support post 26 isshown. In this form two spring bracket members 38, one for supportingeach side of the glass partition 2!], are arranged with their horizontallower portions secured to the horizontal flange of the post 26 and withtheir upstanding vertical portions in parallel alignment for engagementwith the glass. The lower horizontal portions of the brackets may besecured to the base flange of the post by any suitable means, such as bywelding. The horizontal portions of the brackets are perforated for thereception of the self-tapping screws 33.

One preferred form of corner post 23 is shown in Figure 5. In thisembodiment the horizontal supporting flange of the post is perforatedfor the reception of the self-tapping screw 33 by which it is secured tothe table top, and portions 4|, similar to the portions 35 and 31 of thepost 26, shown in Figure 3, are struck from the base flange and are bentvertically upwardly so that the lie parallel with but spaced from thevertical wall portions 42 of the post with which they are associated.The rail glasses are received between the tabs ll and the upstandingwall portions in the post, being thus held in position attheir loweredges. The upper edges of the rail glasses are held by the reverselybent portions 30 which, in the case of the corner posts, as shown inFigure 5, are formed into two substantially individual spring clips.

A modified form of base for the corner post support is shown in Figure6. In this embodiment a separate plate member 43, having verticalupstanding walls 15 arranged at right angles with respect to each other,is perforated for the reception of the self-tapping screw 33 by which itis secured to the horizontal base flange of the corner post and to thetable top. The rail glasses are secured in this case at their loweredges between the portions 45 of the member 43 and the upstanding walls42 of the corner post. Member 43 may be secured as by welding, to thehorizontal base flange of the corner post, or it may be held in positionmerely by the self-tapping screw 33.

Means is provided in the form of clips adapted to be detachably insertedin the table top at desired points, for locking in position certainpartitions in abutting relation to other partitions previously locatedin place and in such a manner that such partitions already in place neednot be removed nor lifted out of position, These clips are constructedso that when a portion is inserted in one of a plurality ofsymmetrically spaced openings in the table top and turned angularly,another portion thereof engages under a partition already in place andin such turned position receives or seats another or cross partitionwhereby the clip and partition are mutually and detachably held inposition; the clip being locked in position by the portion underlyingthe partition already in place and the second or cross partition seatedin the clip being held from displacement longitudinally of the firstmentioned partition by means of that clip portion which is lockinglyinserted in the opening in the table top. This is indicated in Figure 1by the numeral This form of the invention is fully described and claimedin my aforesaid co-pending application.

By reason of the perforations in the table top the table assembly mayvery easily be kept clean as dirt, which tends to accumulate in themerchandise compartments, can be readily sifted through the perforationsand thus removed from the table surface. By reason of the readilyremovable clips, partitions may be easily inserted or removed, orchanged from one position to the other to accommodate the size of thearticles being displayed and the merchandising conditions under whichthe table is to be used. The table is thus readily adaptable to varioustypes of uses. By reason of the multitudinous arrangement of theopenings in the table top a very great number of adjustments and a wideflexibility is permitted. The partitions may be located or relocated bysimple manipulation of the clips, and in several embodiments of theinvention without the removal or manipulation of nuts or bolts or thelike. The operation of adjusting the clips is one that any salespersoncan readily perform. In inserting a partition it is not necessary tomove or otherwise disturb the previously located wall such as a rail orpartition with which the new partition is to be associated.

The clips and the partitions which they hold in place are mutuallyinterlocking, that is, after the clip and partition have been locatedthe partition prevents the clip from rotation and accidental removal andthe clip holds the partition in place. The clips when in position areheld in upright alignment by the supported rail or partition Walls whichpermits the use of a table top constructed of but a single sheet ofmetal or the like, thus producing a construction which is cheap and yetefficient.

The multitudinous perforations in the table top, together with the useof self-tapping screws, provide a ready means for locating the cornersupport posts and more particularly the side rail supporting posts insubstantially any desired position.

It is obvious that numerous changes might be made in the specific formsof the invention shown for purposes of illustration. For example, railguards 21 could be omitted without departing from the spirit of theinvention. The invention contemplates the use of equivalents throughout.I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise embodiments shownor described, but only as indicated in the following claim.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

A clip for a display table having a plurality of walls extending inangularly disposed relationship, said clip being adapted to engage andsupport said walls on opposite sides for Vertically disposing said wallsin fixed predetermined relationship, said clip comprising a supportingpost having a vertical portion adapted to engage against one side of asaid wall, said post having at its top a forwardly and downwardlyextending wall embracing spring clip portion adapted to grippinglyengage the opposite face of said last named wall, the lower end of saidclip being provided with a forwardly extending horizontal wall engagingand supporting portion projecting a substantial distance forwardly ofsaid post to provide a base attachment flange for said clip and memberssecured to said base flange in spaced relation to said post and beingdisposed in parallel planes arranged at a substantial angle with respectto the plane of said post, said last named members providing wallengaging portions for disposing a second wall in predeterminedrelationship to said other wall and at least one of said wall engagingportions having its upper margin disposed at an elevation substantiallybelow the lower edge of said spring clip portion.

JAMES E. BALES.

